Integration between apps can speed up things for smartphone users by putting elements of one app in another so they could do things faster without wasting time on switching between apps and interrupting the flow. It becomes more relevant for apps that users depend on more than others such as Google search, a mobile browser, Gboard or YouTube.

The option to share a link on social media networks without leaving a mobile browser, accessing search in Microsoft Word or sharing YouTube videos from Gboard are some of the prominent examples of this interlinking between apps.

Now, Google has integrated its search app for iOS with Apple’s iMessage and Safari browser bringing a similar set of tools to iPhone and iPad users.

The integration with iMessage offers two benefits. The first one allows users to search GIFs, videos, favourite location, restaurants, articles on Google search inside iMessage and then share them instantly with a friend. Users can also share a Google card from their feeds directly in iMessage. The search options on Google available to users are expansive and not limited to a few features. So if users are looking for a restaurant they can also look up the menu and user reviews inside iMessage.

Google is also bringing back the contextual search feature, Now on tap, to mobile browsers on iOS, including Apple’s own Safari web browser.

Though the feature works inside iMessage, users still need to install the Google app on their iPhone. Once the app is installed, users can access search in iMessage->iMessage apps drawer-> Google app.

The second benefit of interlinking between Google and iMessage is relevant for iPad users as they can take advantage of the big screen available on an iPad compared to an iPhone. It allows them to drag and drop images or weblinks from Google app to iMessage. So if users come across an interesting article on Google and want to share it with a friend, they just have to tap and hold the link and then drag it into a specific chat on iMessage.

Google is also bringing back the contextual search feature, Now on tap, to mobile browsers on iOS, including Apple’s own Safari web browser. It works by letting users discover content related to what they are already looking at on a mobile browser. So if users are reading an article on how to grill fish, they can find a similar set of articles on how to do it along with the top recipes by tapping in the Google icon in the share menu of the browser. This saves users from the exercise of typing in a separate tab.